PUBLIC ART INITIATIVE
Celebrating local heritage, creativity, and collaboration
MELROSE BARN QUILT TRAIL
Barn Quilt Trail – Community Heritage Project
The Melrose Area Arts Council is creating a Barn Quilt Trail to celebrate our community’s agricultural, cultural, and artistic heritage. Supported by the Community Giving Foundation, the project will install 20 large painted quilt blocks on local businesses, public buildings, and community spaces by May 2027. Each block comes from a curated collection of traditional quilt patterns chosen for their symbolism—hospitality, resilience, growth, faith, and community.
Select businesses have been invited to participate and will receive a professionally designed and painted barn quilt at no cost, along with installation support and inclusion on the official Barn Quilt Trail Map. This trail will enhance Melrose’s visual character and invite residents and visitors to explore the stories woven into our town’s history.
List of Barn Block Designs
Please note: As businesses select their preferred design for their building, blocks that have already been chosen will be marked as ‘unavailable’ below and in the Google form. Act quickly to secure your design before it’s taken by another participant!
1. Broken Dishes
2. Compass Rose
3. Corn and Beans
4. Crossroads
5. Double Friendship Star
6. Dove in the Window
7. Dutch Tulip
8. Dutchman’s Puzzle
9. Farmer’s Daughter
10. Flying Geese
11. Jacob’s Ladder
12. Log Cabin (unavailable)
13. Mariner’s Compass
14. Mexican Star
15. Ohio Star
16. Rainbow Star
17. Rose Flower
18. Star of Bethlehem
19. Storm at Sea
20. Sunflower
This project was made possible thanks to a Central Minnesota Arts Grant provided through Community Giving.
